To Live for Someone Else
by A113 Cowgirl
Summary: A continuous collection of Lightning/Sally oneshots. True-to-canon only. Romance and fluff galore!
1. I- Those Three Words

**Got the idea for this one while riding my horse. I kid you not, I was running a jump course and suddenly I was like, 'dang, I got a cute idea.' My mind works in mysterious ways.**

**Time Setting: About a month after Cars 1.**

**~Those Three Words~**

They had been going strong as a couple for weeks now. They had entirely skipped the 'dating' phase- as soon as they were reunited, they dove right into being serious. No questions asked.

They returned to Wheel Well a lot, almost daily. Like right now. It was sunset, their favorite time to be there. Dusk brought colorful, soft rays of light to stretch across the sky and give the entire desert below a glow. The clouds were a fluorescent pink, complimenting the twilight sky behind it. They were leaned up against one another, silently taking in the scenery and the fact that they could be together. Again, their favorite time.

Lightning thought about how quickly the two of them had become so serious. He knew she was 'the one' somewhere between their first drive and the re-lighting of the town. (And of course, she thought the same of him as well.) And since then, they made sure to be at each other's side whenever possible. Which was easy, seeing as they had spent the past month working together to re-open Wheel Well. When they weren't working on the motel, they were taking drives, talking with the townsfolk, or spending time under the neon. Whatever they were doing, they did it together and did it happily.

But something seemed… missing. Like something major was about to happen for them, some kind of milestone, but he just couldn't place it. For a relationship that was built entirely on the concept of taking life slow, they sure were moving fast. Sometimes he worried that it might be a problem, that moving so quickly was unhealthy for them. But his concerns always faded away whenever he saw how well they kept up with the pace. Speed was just in their nature.

Suddenly, Sally stretched, interrupting his thoughts. "We should probably be heading back, it's getting dark. We don't want you going off road again, _Stickers_." She teased, gesturing to his artificial headlights with a grin. He rolled his eyes with a smile.

"_Not_ my fault." He retorted with good nature. She chuckled quietly and turned towards the road.

Something suddenly rang clear in Lightning's mind.

"Wait, Sally-" he stopped her. She turned back around.

"Hm?" She noticed his serious expression, and realized what he was about to say. He inhaled, ready to let her hear the three words she'd been wanting to hear all night-

"Race you there!" He shouted with a large smile, then went zero-to-sixty towards the town. She laughed whole-heartedly, wasting no time in following him.

"Stay on the road this time, hotshot!" She called as she caught up with him.

Oh, he loved her alright. And he'd tell her when the time was right. After all, they both kinda liked goin fast.

**Tadaa! I like this one. Has a moral to it. It's hidden, but it's there. **

**Fandom Fun Fact: In the original script, Lightning and Sally's first date was to a drive-in movie. It was changed to fixing the neon because that seemed more meaningful.**

**Author Fun Fact: I go to private school, but uniforms aren't required. **


	2. II- Divine Conspiracy

**I am so, so, SOO sorry for the long wait. I'll get better, I swear! Also, thank you so much for your kind reviews! Much appreciated. In response to four of said reviews-**

**Yes, I am that Bonnie. But what's with all this past-tense stuff? I'm happy to say that I'm still editing videos! My new username is A113Cowgirl on YouTube. I'm working on LS vids and have a few already posted. (*cough cough* and I'd appreciate comments *cough cough*)**

**And one of you, I believe it was Mere, mentioned that I have the same name as Sally's VA. Funny story, I was actually NAMED AFTER Bonnie Hunt. (My ma was a fan) But it gets creepier- John and his team designed Sally's personality after Miss Dawn Welch, a business owner who's known as the mother hen of Route 66. She loves its history to death and strives to preserve it. My middle name? Ironically, Dawn. Go figure. AND- I also happen to live on Route 66, in a small farmtown along the historic road. I think it's safe to say I was born to love this fandom.**

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**Chapter II- Divine Conspiracy**

Time Setting: Between Cars 1 & 2.

**NOTE- This is **G**rated. I am _NOT_ implying anything, kapeesh?**

DING DING. The Wheel Well's service bell chimed mid-afternoon on a summer day.

"I"ll be right with you!" The Porsche called from a separate office. After a moment and the sound of a file drawer slamming shut, she appeared behind the desk to greet her guest. _Probably another ditzy construction worker asking where to put what for the hundredth time_, she thought. To her surprise, the ringer was none other than the very person she'd been thinking of.

"Hey Stickers! When did you get home?" She asked with sudden cheer, rounding the desk to give him a proper welcome hug. He grinned at her enthusiasm and returned the welcome.

"Just now. We finished a little early." He answered as she pulled back. He'd just returned from two weeks in LA, doing dreaded business with his sponsors about building his headquarters a state over. It took convincing, but eventually agreements were made and contracts were signed.

Sally's grin widened. "Well, I'm glad. I missed you. I'd forgotten how lonely this town can get." She meant it to an extent. Of course, the family-like social structure of the town made her feel at home, especially being halfway filial to Doc and Flo, but the past two weeks had brought to her attention just what she'd been missing in the two years of her residence in Radiator Springs that preceded Lightning's arrival.

"I missed you too. A lot. But it looks like you've kept busy, this place looks great!" He exclaimed, glancing around the slowly-improving lobby of their new motor court. She mirrored him and gave it a one over as well. "Yea," she said over an unsatisfied and weary sigh, "It's getting there. Still working on some minor construction issues." Blue painter's tape lined the doorways and floor of the room, and tarps lay scattered on the ground. The entire establishment smelled of must- but somewhere underneath the in-progress building lay hope and promise for not only it, but for them. It was that that kept them inspired. Well, that and their excited evening chats over how stunning it would look when it was complete and how it would be a step towards repairing 66. They returned their gazes to one another.

"So, wanna hit Flo's? I could use some down time." He offered, giving her a hopeful smile. She lidded her eyes competitively.

"Last one there buys?" She questioned. He revved his engine.

"As always." And they were off.

The unexpecting townsfolk were treated to having two of the residents fly up main street, paying no mind to the 25 mph speed limit. (Much to Sheriff's annoyance) Just as they were about to zip into Flo's lot, Lightning braked inches from the change in pavement marking the entrance to the lot. Sally slowed herself, then u-turned to raise an eyebrow at him interrogatively. He grinned smugly, following her in.

"Guess I'm buying." He claimed, still smug. She rolled her eyes with a chuckle, driving alongside him to their usual spot. Once they were parked and served, he glanced around the small town.

"Wow, this place is really hoppin. Tourism picked up since I left." He observed, taking note of a dozen or so cars sightseeing along the road he paved so long ago. Sally frowned and paused in consuming her drink.

"Yea, about that," she began, "I have some bad news." He looked to her with curiosity and a slight amount of fear.

"I'm gunna need cone #1 back. I'm having to turn down guests, and Wheel Well's no where near ready, as you know." She said in a tone that wasn't as regretful as he thought it should be.

"Oh. I understand, don't worry about it. I'll room with Mater until my headquarters are built, or I'm sure Doc could spare a room-" He rambled, trying to make her feel less guilty, although it rather bothered him that she didn't appear guilty or upset. At all.

"Actually, I was thinking," She said, glancing at a tire she was rolling back and forth on the cement, "You're welcome to stay with me in the office. There's room for two." With this she grinned a little sheepishly and looked back to him. After realizing what she was offering, he returned her grin.

"That'd be better. Do you need the cone tonight?" He replied. She returned to her beverage, casually responding-

"Yea, that'd be best if you don't mind. I have a few guests waiting." She said. Lightning couldn't help but smile as he returned to his thoughts. They were moving in together. Well, not technically, seeing as they didn't own a residence, but the idea was there. They'd be sharing a dwelling, which was an upgrade from their previous arrangement of having to exchange goodnights outside of her lobby. And the thought of curling up together was more than enticing.

So that night, after socializing with the gang for a few hours, chatting with tourists, and enjoying the town's ever magnificent lighting, the two turned in late and headed for the placid motel. Lightning had packed up his old cone earlier in the day, bringing only a few belongings which were now scattered around the office.

The pair pulled into the office and parked behind the desk for the night. After some brief conversation, she switched off the desk lamp and cuddled up against his side, sighing contently and letting a slight smile adorn her face. He returned the gesture, noticing how peaceful she looked with her eyes closed as she relaxed with her weight against him. The world surrounding their humble abode seemed to be at peace with the neon lights still blazing and her static-ridden radio quietly wailing out old bluegrass music, the current track being _Mississippi River Blues._ The office was dimly lit by the lights of the cones outside. Lightning thought back to the day she first offered him lodging at her motel. At the time, he considered it as more of a friendly invitation. Looking back, he saw it an attempt to test him out whilst being subtle. She was nothing if not clever. With sudden realization, Lightning noticed that only six of the nine cones were occupied, the first not included. He contemplated this fact for a moment.

"Hey Sal?"

"Hmm?" She hummed absentmindedly, leaving her eyes closed and lips smiling.

"You didn't really need the extra cone, did you?" He asked knowingly. She allowed herself to grin just a little wider.

"Not at all." She happily admitted, knowing he had caught on. He laughed aloud at her scheme and pecked her cheek.

"Good to be home." He said in a content tone.

'Home' had suddenly gained an entirely new meaning.

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**Whoooaaa. Fluff alert. Excuse the corniness, I just had to get this one off of my chest. Also, I've been in a rather fluffy mood recently because this guy I've been crushing on for a while asked me to homecoming. *commence feminine spazz out***

***ahem.* Excuse me. ^^'**

**Fandom Fun Fact: _There's going to be a freaking Cars 3._**

**Author Fun Fact: I have a scar on my chin that contains 6 or 7 small pieces of gravel from falling off of my horse a few years back. My friends named the rocks. **


	3. III- Prompts Set 1

**Why am I back, after eons of absence? Because I've been working my bumper off to prepare these puppies for yall! If you've heard of the LiveJournal 50 Prompt 1-sentence challenge, this is similar. The prompts are the same, but they're far longer than one sentence and are entirely out of order. Because I live by my own rules. They don't relate to one another in any way, they're separate stories. I'll be uploading these in sets of 5-10, depending on the length of the included stories. The majority of them are pretty short. Review, please!**

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**Chapter III- Prompts Set 1**

**1. Change**

"Well, I guess your nickname has officially expired." She said with half a smile as he presented his new functioning headlights to her. He was slightly fearful that she was upset with this change in his appearance , until she spoke again. "But I have to admit, you wear em well, Stickers." Her playful grin was all the reassurance he needed.

**2. Vision**

It happened on a particularly dreary day when the weather was unbearably humid and the overall atmosphere felt as if they were in a rut. They were struggling through the gloom of it all in her office, for once not holding conversation out of pure crabbiness in both parties. His eyes suddenly widened as if he'd just seen every truth in one moment.

"I have this crazy idea." He stated simply, focusing straight ahead. She moved her gaze from her paperwork to his face in curiosity. "Let's reopen Wheel Well."

**3.** **Goodbye** _(Partially inspired by the song 'Goodbye in her Eyes' By Zac Brown Band.)_

A million heartfelt yet incorrect phrases ran through his mind. What was he to say? "Sally, I-" want to thank you? Thanking her just to follow it up with a 'but' was wrong. "I want you to-" to know that he would've stayed? No, that would be rubbing salt in the wound. "Look, I wish-!" That it weren't this way? That the racing world didn't need him? That she didn't need him? That he didn't need her? Wrong. All wrong. And no brilliant goodbye lines presented themselves to him, so he surrendered and let her take over. She was wiser than he was, anyway. With a steadying breath, she readied her speech.

"Thank you. Thanks for everything." And suddenly he wished he'd have said it all.

**4. Attention**

Being an experienced lawyer, she was used to having the attention on her. The feeling of having everyone waiting to hear what she would say next was something she had adjusted to long ago. But, as she now realized, that was simply in front of a courtroom. It was business and nothing more. This, on the other hand, reflected not only herself- but him. So she stared idly at the press and audience as Lightning and Doc answered every question as professionally as one could imagine. She knew a lot about racing, granted, but was still taken back when Lightning had requested that she join he and Doc in a pre-race interview for the press and anyone else who wanted to listen. Which turned out to be everyone.

"It's not his forte, but he can accomplish it regardless. We're not worried about it." Doc rambled to the asker of whatever question he was answering. Just as she turned to glance at Lightning for the first time since the interview began, a reporter called her out.

"Miss Carrera, you've been quiet up until this point. What are your thoughts on some of Lightning's skills that outperform the competition?" Suddenly she felt all of the cameras turn to her, followed by dozens of flashes. All eyes were on her, including his, and were expecting the perfect response. She thought over her options for a few brief seconds before rolling forward a few inches to her mic. With an incredibly confident and serious tone, she announced,

"Besides his passing abilities? He's a darn good kisser." The crowd and reporters burst into a fit of laughter. She even caught Doc muffle a few half-embarrassed chuckles and Lightning laughing albeit his slight blush that only she could see. She smiled in accomplishment to herself. This paparazzi thing was easy.

**5. Drive**

It was nearing 3 am when he drifted back out of sleep to find her grimacing at the floor beside him. He knew she'd had a long day, and had chosen to stay out of her way yet at her side while she had muddled through it.

"Still feelin down?" He asked sympathetically. She didn't adjust her gaze but sighed.

"Just... Stressed." She said. After a moment of deliberation and one-way eye contact on his side, he drove towards the office corridor and turned to look at her.

"C'mon. We're goin for a drive." This time he had her full attention.

"This late?" She asked with a puzzled expression and tone. He nodded.

"I think we both need it."

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**Fandom Fun Fact: Flo and Ramone are the only RS residents to live in a building that does not double as their business.**

**Author Fun Fact: I love the sound of box fans and ceiling fans. It just sounds like home to me.**


	4. IV- Trust

**In Celebration of the Short released yesterday, here you go. Review for more updates!**

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**Chapter IV- Trust**

Time Setting: During and shortly after Cars 1

Doc hadn't realized exactly how much he had seen the Porsche as a daughter figure until the rookie had taken a liking to her. During his first few days in town, Doc had been biased against him simply because he belonged to the world which he had been shunned from. That alone was enough of a reason. But when he'd seen the hotrod speed off towards Wheel Well with her that first time, he didn't recognize this new kind of bitterness towards the racer. It was one of distrust and hatred. The thought of him using her humble and innocent heart for his own short-lived entertainment sickened him. What was even worse was the fact that she was falling for it. Or worse yet, for him. He honestly hadn't expected that from her. She had always been so level-headed and wise, the fact that she seemed to be so oblivious to his fake charm astounded Doc. Toying with her emotions was the last straw. The only option was to send him as far from the town as he could. He enacted this plan, and all was going swimmingly, until he turned to see a horrified and utterly heartbroken Sally staring at him as if he'd just murdered her first born in front of her.

"You called them?" In a sense, He could understood her pain. She'd let herself be charmed by the moron's charisma, and while she still had that in her mind she wouldn't be able to understand why he did what he did. He explained it to her in the best way he could while her emotions were still running high.

"It's best for everyone, Sally." Being the wise old-soul she was, he figured she would now comprehend his actions and how they were for her own good. But to his surprise, her agonized expression didn't fade into comfort. Instead, anger and resentment formed on top of the sadness.

"Best for everyone? Or best for you?" And she was gone. An unbearably heavy feeling of guilt and regret overcame the older car. Suddenly it didn't add up that Doc was the only one to see the racer the way he did. And if she, of all people, saw any good in the kid- then he had no choice but to go retrieve him.  
After the entire ordeal was over with and the happy couple had been reunited, Doc silently watched them grow as a couple in the months that followed. Too ashamed of himself to treat them as a pair like the rest of the townspeople did, he merely observed. And now as he looked back on all this while watching them affectionately curl up together under the neon, he realized that he wouldn't trust her with anyone else in the world. It was enough to bring a smile to his old face.

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**Excuse me, I'm still grieving Doc.**

**Fandom Fun Fact: A few titles that were considered for Cars 1 were "The Little Yellow Car" and "Route 66." "World Grand Prix" was considered for Cars 2.**

**Author Fun Fact: I have an odd phobia of the fourth stall of any restroom, and I will never use one.**


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